DRIVING HOLIDAYS

Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? But it is possible, as one Melbourne-based family will attest – after driving around Australia, then around the world with two littlies in the back, they’ve released a book on the topic. Mum Sandra Khazam shares her favourite pointers: 1. Before you go, involve kids in the planning so they know where you are all going and why. Depending on their age, they can also help with looking up things to do and places to stay. 2. Try to structure a trip that makes the journey as fun as the destination. Plan for activities...

Escaping the daily grind needn’t involve spending a week at the wheel. Lee Atkinson shares her pick of the best day drives that will take you down the road less travelled Photography by Lee Mylne Old Grafton to Glenn Innes Road, New South Wales Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia Litchfield National Park, Northern Territory Heart of the Scenic Rim, Queensland Flinders Island, Tasmania Back roads through the goldfields, Victoria The Tin Horse Highway, Western Australia Lee Atkinson is the author of the Australian Road Trips smartphone and iPad app (available on iTunes and Android Market). For more information see ozyroadtripper.com.au ...

For most of us, Sydney to Melbourne is strictly a Hume Highway affair. But you’ll get a lot more than beautiful scenery if you ride the coastline instead, says Bridget Mahony I’ve been quite curious about the stretch of coastline between Sydney and Melbourne for a while now – especially since so many rush along the route, promising themselves they’ll return one day to explore the drive properly. So when Sydney began to brace herself for wild weather and flash flooding, I decided there was no better time to pack up, hire a car and head south. But I had no accommodation booked...

Alissa Jenkins suggests unforgettable itineraries to help you explore the Aussie interior. Outback NSW: The Darling River Run Outback QLD: An Authentic Aussie Event Crawl Outback NT: The Explorers Way Outback WA: The Gibb River Road Outback SA: The Flinders Way  ...

To get from Victoria to South Australia, many people choose the Great Ocean Road. Others follow the Murray from its source to the sea. But the inland route along the often-overlooked B12 highway is a drive worth taking for its historic country towns, grazing land, pink-hued lakes, salt dunes and wild mallee scrub. Text and images by Morne and Keturah de Klerk. Lanky eucalypts loom above the waters of Murray flood plains as the sun lowers itself behind them, leaving romantic reflections on the still waters. Magpies and kookaburras sing their goodnights. We are in Tooleybuc, NSW, at the start of...

 Where Is It? All around Australia The Big Lap, as it’s known, is the ultimate driving journey Australians take when we realise there’s more to life than work. We cull all our stuff, kit up the car, get sorted with camping gear or caravans, and set off on the road to everywhere. Many of us do it when we retire. Some of the smarter ones among us do it before we’re tied down with careers at all. Still others return home from living overseas and head off, after guiltily realising we know more about the rest of the world we...

Where is it? Cairns, Qld, to Broome, WA. It’s the ultimate Aussie road trip at 3699km long. The 14-day trip (you can do it in less, but why would you?) will take you through 15 National Parks, five World Heritage areas and some of the most remote spots in Australia. “This is truly for the gutsy adventurer, but if you’re up for lying in your swag along the banks of a river with croc slide marks nearby the next morning, you’ll never forget this extraordinary experience.”  Catriona Rowntree Stop along the way to go Barramundi fishing, and to take that...

Where is it? It’s our southernmost state. Mainland Australia is so vast, you should take at least a year off to drive all the way round it (see #5 on our list). But if you have a hankering to circumnavigate something by car and don’t have that kind of time on your hands, head to Tassie. The state can be explored in a ten-day loop, with an itinerary that includes Hobart, Bruny Island, the East Coast, Launceston, Cradle Mountain, Strahan. Campervans are available for hire as soon as you jump off the plane from interstate – all you need to...

Where is it? A patch of semi-arid country leading inland from The Great Australian Bight in south-eastern WA and south-western SA  You might think that driving along a flat, straight road for four days doesn’t sound very exciting, especially when you can fly through it overnight by train, but it’s something every Australian traveller should consider in their lifetime. Nullarbor “no trees” Plain is just like what most people think the entire interior of our country is like before they’ve actually been out there and experienced its diversity. The former ancient sea bed is pretty flat with low scrub for...

Elisabeth Knowles takes the long and winding road from Drouin and back via Walhalla, Mount Baw Baw, Noojee and Neerim. The word “hinterland” is an evocative one. It makes me think of rolling green hills along the lines of the kind you’d find in the Byron Bay Hinterland or the Gold Coast Hinterland. It promises a region bounded by waterways – be they rivers or the sea (hence the green). The West Gippsland Hinterland certainly delivers on the green front, but it also offers white, by way of the snow at Mount Baw Baw in winter. It’s so much more...

The 861 Footplate Experience is now available, departing from Belgrave 40km east of Melbourne, for an unforgettable do-it-yourself ride on the iconic Puffing Billy. This is certainly the ultimate for train enthusiast but surely anyone would be delighted at the chance to drive a 120-year-old Footplate locomotive, with direction from an expert Puffing Billy Railway Driver, or go along for the ride as friends and family are welcomed with exclusive use of the carriages. Coaching in lighting the fire, steering, and (luckily) braking is provided as the train steams along the challenges of the finely preserved railway line through the...

Australia is blessed with some accessible, totally underrated and hidden beautiful campsites. Newnes, on the other western side of the Blue Mountains, has to rate among the best. AT’s Quentin Long reports. Test-Drive in Newnes  Like any good campsite, the best way to reach Newnes is debatable. You can bounce in along the 4WD track off the Bells Line of Road. Or you can drive into Lithgow, head towards Mudgee, turn left at Lidsdale and past the colliery and up the Wolgan Valley Rd. Off road is always far more interesting. Hyundai wanted someone to give their new “soft off-roader”,...

Australian Traveller looks at 35 great short break drives from your nearest capital city 35 Great Short Break Holidays Returning home after a long weekend can be as refreshing and invigorating as an extended break. It just requires a little extra effort to push off for the weekend. Spring is the best time to shake out of the lethargy of winter and discover the hidden gems around every corner. AT has researched 35 magical short breaks in all states of Australia to give you the best time off this spring. So, no more lethargy and no excuses. It’s time to...